Stories

Cecilia Lei Sep 2, 2025 Updated Sep 5, 2025 Photograph of Yick Wo Laundry, In re Wo Lee, case file 3947 (NAID 348094304); Civil and Appellate Case Files, 1863–1911 (NAID 295935); U.S. Circuit Court, Ninth Circuit, Northern District of California, San Francisco (USCC San Francisco); RG 21, NARA San Francisco.  (Courtesy of the National Archives at […]

How a Chinese Laundryman Shaped US Civil Rights From San Francisco Read More »

Ethnic studies are under attack. Along with any curriculum demonized and dubbed “DEI” (formerly, and more accurately, known as “diversity, equity and inclusion”), the Trump administration is targeting everything from reading lists to history lessons for cuts and systematically eliminating inclusive curriculum and programming from schools. Does that stop ethnic studies advocates? Absolutely not. Art

New AAPI textbook uncovers untaught stories Read More »

Honoring the Past, Building a Pan-Asian Future   By Kim Kisner After decades of dormancy, Detroit’s historic Chinatown is stirring with renewed purpose. The neighborhood near Cass and Peterboro—once home to thriving Chinese American businesses and cultural hubs—is undergoing a revival driven by a coalition of residents, business owners, and community leaders committed to honoring

Detroit’s Chinatown Revival Read More »

  Forty-three years ago this month, Vincent Chin, a Detroit area Chinese American, was beaten to death with a baseball bat. Hiskilling and subsequent court proceedings marked the beginning of the modern Asian American civil rights movement nationwide. That story has been extensively reported, including an award-winning 1987 documentary “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” co-produced by Detroit PBS.

Street sign honoring Vincent Chin installed in Detroit’s historic Chinatown Read More »

Offered by Chair Vega Pederson Commissioner Moyer Commissioner Brim-Edwards Commissioner Singleton Commissioner Jones-Dixon Communications Office June 26, 2025 Decades after Multnomah County bulldozed the graves of Chinese and Chinese American residents for a maintenance building and parking lot, the Board of Commissioners formally acknowledged and apologized for the harm, expressing sincere regret to families and

Multnomah County Board acknowledges, formally apologizes for historic harm to Chinese Americans at Lone Fir Cemetery Read More »

Review: ‘Strangers in the Land’ by Michael Luo By Ryan Zhang When I was still a child living in China, we called the Chinese immigrants in America “Gold Mountain Uncles.” When they returned to visit, they stayed in the best hotels and paid for elaborate dinners in large restaurants. To many of us back then,

Who Is My Neighbor? Revisiting the Chinese Exclusion Era Read More »

By Annette Poizner In North America, May is a time of cultural celebration, honoring both Jewish Heritage and Asian Heritage. It is a good time to reflect on the camaraderie and shared resilience of two ancient communities: Jewish and Chinese. A few years ago, amid a disturbing rise in anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, nearly

Bridges of Light: Where Torah and Tao Meet Read More »